Valentine’s Day 2026 – four perspectives, one emotion
What is love when viewed through the lens of science? In four interviews, invited researchers reflect on Valentine’s Day and love from entirely different perspectives – from passion inscribed in music, through the surprising mating strategies of insects, to the cultural meanings of this celebration and the ways in which we speak about emotions in contemporary discourse.
Mgr Dominik Zięcina from the Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy at the Faculty of Biological Sciences, studies ants on a daily basis. Just how fascinating these organisms are is evident, for instance, in the number of idioms and associations connected with them that have found their way into everyday language. Like all insects, they too experience the natural drive to reproduce. But can we speak of love in their case? What behaviours are associated with this feeling in the insect world, and do they also celebrate their own Valentine’s Day? You can find out in the interview below:
Mgr Kaja Kędzioł, a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Cultural Studies within the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences, explores in her PhD thesis, among other topics, how love is perceived by different discourses and social movements. How is it shaped by other dominant cultural patterns? Is love still regarded today as something intimate, or has it been stripped of its romantic character? How is love appropriated by various forces that may appear to have little to do with it? Listen for yourselves:
How does contemporary love differ from the kind we know from history or from the most familiar cultural models? Is capitalism eroding the joy of celebrating Valentine’s Day? And do we even still need this holiday? See what dr hab. Michał Rydlewski from the Institute of Journalism and Social Communication has to say on the subject. He analyses Valentine’s Day customs and the influence of love on culture from multiple perspectives. In his approach, psychology intertwines with sociology, anthropology and discourse studies – all complemented by several genuinely thought-provoking reading and film recommendations.
What stirs our souls on Valentine’s Day? For centuries, music has been one of the primary vehicles for expressing love. Ballads, songs and compositions devoted to love are well known to mgr Marianna Siatkowska, a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Musicology within the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences. Her doctoral research focuses chiefly on seventeenth-century musical practices, in which numerous motifs of love appeared. Yet the symbolism of love can be conveyed in music in many different ways: through setting, choice of instruments, or even through the very act of listening together. Do listen as the researcher speaks about this:
As it turns out, love truly has many names.
We wish the entire University of Wrocław community many joyful moments with their partners – and if you have not yet found one, may you soon fall happily in love!
The films were produced by Paweł Piotrowski, with support from Maria Kozan and Eryk Kawecki.
Date of publication: 14.02.2026
Added by: EJK
